No Plans To Make Thumb Print Mandatory To Prevent Fraud
11/07/2007 Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The government has no plans yet to make the thumb print mandatory on all legal documents for the transfer of property or land ownership to prevent fraud.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said the government, however, realised the usefulness of the thumb print, besides the signature, in verifying legal documents, in line with Section 211(1) of the National Land Code.

"Therefore, state governments are encouraged to use the thumb print to prevent fraud in this ICT era," he said in his reply to Senator Datuk Rina Bhar in the Dewan Negara here Wednesday.

To a supplementary question from Senator Maijol Mahap who wanted to know how serious the fraud problem in Malaysia was, Sazmi said most were "normal fraud" cases involving identity cards and letters of lawyer's representation.

"The identity cards, for instance, cannot be verified by our offices as we are not the relevant agency," he added.

Nevertheless, said Sazmi, his ministry was introducing certain security features to important documents such as serial numbers and bar codes for new land title grants, and considering using the biometric system and hot stamping.

-- BERNAMA